“Welcome to Cascadia” by Miss Vancouver

Cascadia Now! got a great mention in the Vancouver Metro blog in an August 24 article by Rebecca Bollwitt, who talked about the idea of Cascadia as a symbol of solidarity for those living in the Pacific Northwest.

She also gave a great description of our organization, noting that there is a social movement to celebrate “the things that define our unique regional character” such as bio-diversity, geography, geology, history, culture, and more, that we are are “not a political movement because in many respects, we as Cascadians already form a nation... not in the sense that we have a military, or rigidly defined borders that would be defended to the death. No, Cascadia is a nation in the sense it is a gathering of individuals and communities who reflect similar desires and needs, a unique cultural identity and most importantly, a common future.” She goes on to give a nice overview of the history, and the importance of soccer for helping build our regional character.

Cascadia Rising – Article in Portland Monthly

Break out the fireworks for the northwest's independent state of mind, this in depth article covers the full range of Cascadia idealism and breadth of the Cascadia movement, as both a social and cultural idea.

Portlandian arts and culture magazine the Portland Monthly put out a tremendously positive full-length feature piece on Cascadia and the Cascadian Movement in their most recent issue. Beginning with a discussion of the same adidas ad that is featured in Nate Jensen’s article in this newsletter, the article then moves into a discussion of the Doug Flag and the Cascadian movement more broadly.

The article’s author, Martin Patail, draws on a wide variety of sources in his piece, which contains nods to both the whimsical and serious sides of Cascadia as it has been portrayed on the internet and elsewhere – references range from the satirical Republic of Cascadia website from the mid-2000s to Ernest Callenbach’s Ecotopia and David McCloskey’s creation of the term to the current Cascadia Now! social movement and the Cascadian presence in popular culture.

Would a Romney Win Prompt Cascadian Secession?

Published October 16th from Crosscut magazine, editor and long time Pacific Northwesterner Knute Berger puts forward an in-depth analysis and exploration for the potential for a true Cascadian secessionist movement if Mitt Romney was to win the presidential elections come November. While many Cascadians eschew any political representation on a federal level, Berger joins a chorus of voices giving weight to the idea of Cascadia as a real alternative if government continues to shift away from any real form of representative governance. Can we do it better? Would there be drawbacks? the author muses aloud, seeking to answer some of these questions.

July 4th 2012 – BBC – The day in images:

An image of a Portland Timbers fan made it all the way to the BBC website for their photo journalism documenting the day in pictures. The fan, waving a flag amid green smoke from a flare, was celebrating a second half goal during the football game against the San Jose Earthquakes in Portland, Oregon. Despite the fact that it was July 4th, American flags were notably absent from the photo array.

Cascadia Cup Tifo Makes the Rounds

The Portland tifo at the Timber Army Sounders match made headlines around Cascadia and the world beyond, being picked up in a series of articles by MLS writers, as well as several European football observers.

From the Guardian in the UK which documented the Cascadian rivalry between Portland and Seattle in “Portland Timbers' giant tifo throws down gauntlet to Seattle Sounders” with a giant image in their sports blog (http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/blog/2012/jun/28/portland-timbers-seattle-sounders-tifo-display) to the article by MLS reserves “Cascadia: United Under a Symbol” (http://www.mlsreserves.com/2012/06/cascadia-united-under-symbol.html) which explored the history and meaning of the Cascadian Doug Flag in the regional rivalry, and for the fans themselves, noting that: “It’s called the Doug Flag because of the Douglas fir on its front, and it’s become an almost mandatory feature of any Cascadia Cup match. Fans in Portland, Seattle and Vancouver all fly its blue, white and green stripes as a symbol of the Pacific Northwest,” coverage was unanimously impressed and positive.

Cascadia Now! Gets a Mention – 10 Movements to Secede from the United States

While once upon a time July 1st (Canada Day) and July 4th (US Independence Day) may have inspired us to unite around our commonalities and throw fireworks at each other in peace, nowadays, it’s usually synonymous with a deluge of wonderful articles documenting different features of spreading secessionist ideologies from around the United States and Canada. In these articles Cascadia has received an honorary mention, noting that while we have produced no declarations or articles of independence, Cascadia Now! seeks a gradual transition towards self-regulation for the Pacific Northwest, asserting that the region is better equipped to govern itself than distant governments in distant governments in Ottawa and Washington, DC.

The Seattle Times - Cascadia Now! Advocates Shift in Culture, not Secession

University of Washington Cascadia Now! members had a great interview with Alicia Halberg from the Seattle times which was published May 24th 2012. In a multiple-hour interview with several members from the group, the article covers many different themes highlighted by the Cascadia Movement, from independence, to beer, soccer, bioregionalism and our distinct culture - coming to the conclusion that we are embedded in part of a larger movement, a fundamental shift in culture, not just merely a political secession.

Cascadia Now!

CascadiaNow! is an grassroots, umbrella non-profit organization that provides resources and direct services to groups, projects, and community partners to raise awareness of Cascadia, celebrate our distinct regional identity and culture, and increase the independence of the Cascadia bioregion - socially, politically, economically and environmentally.

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